Santorini Board Game Review

When I was just a wee lad it seemed there was little thought as to what the difference was between thematic or abstract board games. It felt like there were three kinds of games. First was regular mass-marketed stuff that everyone had like The Game of Life. Then there were those weird hobby games your cousin from up north was into. You didn’t understand what a Cosmic Encounter was but you were in no rush to have one. Finally there were the old games, the standbys, classics like Chess, Checkers and Backgammon. These were the sort of games that relied on pure gameplay without the needless excess of an actual setting. Lord knows why red and black circles wage diagonal jumpy death on one another but that’s just the way it is.

In more recent years that first category has been melting away, the second has risen to comfortable prominence, and the third is being rebuilt with a new class of strategic games that emphasize looks as well as brains. In this beautiful sea of titles like Azul, Tak, and Reef rests a popular title called Santorini, named after the Greek seaside town. Just like any of those other titles the question arises whether this is truly a new classic or just the current Kool-aid. Let's find out.

Santorini is meant for two players but has options for going all the way to four. Given that the two person variation is the main mode of play that will form the basis for the majority of our review, though I may touch on other player-counts should life provide the experience (note: it hasn't). Also of note is there are two primary versions of the game published thus far, the first by Roxley seems to be somewhat better produced, while the second edition published by Spin Master is the one most players are likely to encounter and serves as the basis for this review.

The basic game revolves around two-players each having two little people inside of a five-by-five grid. On your turn you move one of your wee workers to an adjacent space in any eight directions and potentially up one level should there be nearby construction. Following that move you then construct a level of a building on a space neighboring that same figure. Should a player prove unable to complete these basic steps they automatically forfeit the game. The true goal of the game is to construct a building that is 3-levels high and move a figure to that height in order to win.

The height element is what sets Santorini apart from other titles. Not only are you allowed to build levels far beyond the one your figures currently stand on but there's also the option of building a roof which seals that space away from being used for anything. The tightrope of creating a level three tower to move your figures onto while keeping your opponent at bay never ceases to cause anxiety or difficult choices. In fact it often stings when you have to place that curved dome on a tower you spent so much time on in order to keep the other player from snatching victory.

With just the base rules Santorini is already an excellent abstract but it's the inclusion of the god cards that really give it some longevity. This deck of forty gods gives each player a unique power for that game. Sometimes these are simple additions such as the option of building, moving, and building again so long as that figure doesn't ascend a level. Other times the cards create new victory conditions such as one that allows victory if the player descends all the way to the ground from the second floor of a building. A card like that requires the opponent to focus much more on blocking maneuvers. Even better is when both powers inadvertently create a theme such as one game where I could build more quickly on the outer rim while my opponent could only win on the inner-spaces.

As for the production the game is an absolute beauty. The stark white building blocks combined with the blue domes are beautiful to watch spring up across the board. Little extra touches like the raised rocky cliff-side of the board also help to elevate Santorini above the average abstract. The art on god cards and the like is the sort of clean yet cartoonish material often seen in mobile apps. It's attractive enough and universally appealing without becoming bland.

So far Santorini sounds like a perfect game for just about anyone but that's not totally the case. Let's be honest and acknowledge that not everyone enjoys this style of game, and this one isn't so different as to change minds on the matter. My first few playthrough were with my sister who largely dislikes abstract titles and while she didn't hate the experience she wasn't excited to dive back in either. Part of that comes down to the fact that for all of the warm and sunny presentation this is still very much a cold and calculating abstract. Titles like Azul can appeal to a wider audience thanks to gameplay systems that incorporate a bit more social interaction, the method of collecting tiles for example which sometimes results in happy accidents in tandem with luck of the draw. Santorini still flows like a game of Chess or Checkers with players working one move at a time towards their opponents downfall. And as with any abstract strategy game this one favors players with a certain skill-set. In this case victory is often decided by whomever has the best spacial reasoning. For a player such as myself this means I adore every round of play. On the flipside a friend who had wanted to buy the game began to sour after I clobbered them a good five times in a row. It can easily be played by anyone but those of you who stink at say organizing a room might find yourselves on the losing end more often than not. That's part and parcel for this genre however and the god cards do help to mitigate this factor but it's still something prospective buyers should know in advance.

Outside of that there are two irksome elements of production. One is the rulebook. While the core rules are explained wonderfully with visual accompaniment the god cards aren't always so clear. I've actually tossed out randomly drawn powers on occasion as neither I nor my opponent knew what to make of them. So common was this problem that the publisher has released videos to explain different god powers in full. A much smaller problem, and one that possibly only effects yours truly is that, in a strange shift from every other game on the market, the box is almost too small to fit the components. Often after playing I need to remove some pieces from their storage bags in order to smooth everything out and even then there's likely one corner sticking up higher than the others. For Someone with slight OCD it's worthy of an eye-twitch.

When working on this review I played a game against myself in order to set up photo opportunities. Usually such activity would be painfully dull yet I enjoy the game so much that I actually had fun seeing how long I could keep going. That's because Santorini was practically tailored for someone like me who prefers their games to be quick, efficient, and with a bit of beauty to spare. Certainly it's a game that will find a happy home in many collections but that doesn't mean it needs to be in everyone's collection. If you're the kind who prefers wild games of luck or lengthy thematic adventures you still may find something to like here. For those who can't stand systematic showdowns that come down to one player being able to see a few moves ahead the presentation isn't going to be enough to change your mind. You'd be hard-pressed to argue that this is a bad game though you could definitely make the point that is isn't the game for you. That's the beauty of how large this hobby has become, you have plenty of other choices. As for me; this is one of those keepers that will stay in the collection for countless years to come.